French far-right leader Le Pen vows at Paris rally not to back down after her conviction

ISTANBUL

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen vowed not to back down at a rally in Paris on Sunday to protest her conviction, which barred her from holding public office for five years.

“I will not back down,” Le Pen assured at the rally organized by her National Rally party in support of her.

Le Pen described her conviction as a “political manhunt” and a “witch hunt” that has “trampled upon” the rule of law and democracy.

“I continue to believe that politics is not what some would make it into—a perverse game of persecuting opponents, criminalizing adversaries, and seeking to ruin opposition parties, with the sole goal of holding on to power while leading the country into ruin and chaos,” she said.

She claimed that her ruling was sent to the press the night of the verdict, while their lawyers received it the next day, pointing out the “erosion” of institutions and the “loss of public trust” in the justice system.

“This is not a judicial decision; it is a political decision,” the far-right leader reaffirmed, highlighting that it aims to eliminate her from political life “without any possible recourse.”

Alongside the National Rally’s protests, leftist and centrist parties also gathered to oppose the far-right.

The far-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) and the Greens parties held a counter-demonstration in Paris, where they opposed National Rally’s imposing its law and attacking the justice system, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party also gathered its supporters, headed by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to defend democracy and its values.

During his speech at the rally, Attal said Le Pen and her party were found guilty after 10 years of investigation and proceedings.

"You steal, you pay, especially when you're a politician," Attal remarked.

The rallies come after the Paris Criminal Court’s March 31 ruling in the EU funds embezzlement case that Le Pen be immediately banned from politics for five years and sentenced to four years in prison—two of which are suspended, and two to be served under electronic surveillance—along with a €100,000 fine.

The court decision means Le Pen will not serve time in prison, and her lawyers have appealed the ruling.